Alex’s Garden Design and Maintenance

04/06/2026

Lovely post from the BBC Gardeners’ World Fair about my little show garden border in May 🌿😊

04/05/2026

This years BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair is a wrap but what an incredible experience it has been! Creating a small show garden has been a dream of mine since starting my business nearly 10 years ago. Often it felt like an impossible dream due to my mental health struggles (particularly having CPTSD) and low self confidence. Although the journey hasn’t been easy, it has led me to where I am today and I am feeling elated and proud to have won gold for my efforts.

I may have done the design and build solo and truthfully at points I felt envious of teams involved and the support and connection shared between them but despite that, I have left feeling connected, inspired and supported by so many of the amazing people I have met and that really is incredible.

One of my highlights was hearing from one of the assessors that my water, floating sculpture I built would have not looked out of place at Chelsea Flower Show! It truly feels incredible to have my hard work and creativity recognised and I am so grateful.

I am also grateful for the support of my amazing partner who has supported me through months of stress and preparation. I am grateful for and for this incredible opportunity and organisation. As well as my sponsors and and the founder Jacqui for all her support, encouragement and inspiring words which were both empowering and a driving force to keep going even when things were tough!

03/05/2026

The boss seems to approve of my gold award from this year’s she did however feel the need to check it was real with a nibble!

01/05/2026

The is open to the public and I am so excited to share my garden with everyone and celebrate my gold award!! 🥇 Please do come and say hello, I will be around to answer any questions.

I will be sharing many more photos and videos over the next few days!

15/04/2026

So very grateful to have the support of such a meaningful and supportive charity as PTSD UK

Please do check out the amazing work they do to help support people such as myself struggling with CPTSD and PTSD.

💐 PTSD UK at the BBC Gardeners' World Spring Fair! 🌹

The ways our supporters help raise awareness of PTSD and C-PTSD never stops amazing us and we're so proud to be the charity partner for this incredible show garden at the Spring Fair this May.

Alex Bushnell reached out to us earlier this year to tell us about a garden she'd designed based on his personal experience of living with complex PTSD and childhood trauma - and we think it's an amazing way to tell her story, and reach an audience who may not otherwise know much about PTSD or C-PTSD.

We'll let Alex tell you about it in her own words:

"Once upon a time I embarked on a journey of self reflection and healing… to try and calm the monsters that live inside of me.

Living with complex PTSD and childhood trauma has had and continues to have a profound impact on my life. It's something I have denied, ignored and felt shame for living with, only to realise years later that the only way to heal is to accept that it is a part of who I am.

My journey has only really begun, it's a personal journey of reflection and healing through my love of nature, wildlife and art.

My border aims to bring all these elements together, incorporating Japanese techniques, to create a sculpture garden that demonstrates both the inner chaos of healing, showing that even broken things can be beautiful. The second half of the border promotes calmness and the journey of learning to love myself, even the parts that are messy and that I use to believe were broken."

If you're lucky enough to be heading to the Spring Fair, make sure you visit Alex's garden and show your support!

📅 1-3 May 2026 | Beaulieu, Hampshire

You can see updates from Alex over on her Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/avbushnell/

14/04/2026

It is exactly 2 weeks today until I start building my little show garden border for the in Beaulieu, Hampshire. The show garden is a reflection of my own personal struggles with Complex PTSD but it also acts a shared vision among others struggling with CPTSD & PTSD and their journey through healing and finding calm amongst the chaos.
I hope the garden will raise more awareness of PTSD and the amazing charity and the work they do. I am very grateful to have their support in sponsoring me and my border.

For me personally, this whole expierence from designing to building is about embracing the parts of me that I have spent years hiding, it’s a celebration of acceptance and empowerment showing that despite my struggles, I can still achieve a show garden which has been an aspiration and goal for me since starting my career 10 years ago now.